AN: Aha! Hows that for speedy updating? I felt bad for leaving it so long the last couple of times, so this is me making up for it. Also, don't judge Katharean too harshly in this chapter. She's not crazy, she's just a very drunk, mixed-up girl. Even without the drunk and mixed-up parts, I think she could be forgiven ;-)

Hope you like, and please keep the review coming...this is chapter 13, so it's either going to be really good or bloody awful. 13 is not usually a good number for me...:-S

"Do you know what is bad? People. People lie and steal and hurt and waste and...drink ale...and...I mean...look at the colours. All...all the colours...are brown." I muttered, squinting at the brownish-yellow liquid in the glass in front of me.

I had never drank ale before, for father had never allowed it, and it was not until the next morning, in the cold, harsh light of day, that I understood why. Murtagh seemed to be able to handle the substance much better than me. We had been drinking together for hours, but he seemed to remain sensible, at least in comparison to the giggling mess that I had become.

"Tag." I giggled. He was quietly watching two men in the corner of the bar, listening intently to their hushed conversation. I elbowed him, trying to get his attention. "Tag. Tag. Tag. Tag. Tag. Tag. Hey, Tag. Tag. Tag. Tag. Tag. Tag, do you know what we should do? Tag. Tag. Do you know what we should do? Tag, Tag, Tag, Tag, Tag, Ta-"

"Yes?" He snapped, eventually, causing me to giggle again.

"We should go out and look for those men." I whispered, pressing a finger to the tip of his nose. He brushed me off, gently.

"What? What are you talking about, Selena, what men?" He asked, distractedly, never taking his eyes from the two men in the corner.

"You know! The men! The men, the bad men, the thieves that took your...things that they took."

"No, it is too late, we should go to sleep. You, Selena, are drunk."

"Shhh, I am not drunk! I have never ever ever been drunk." I insisted, hiccuping. The men he had been watching stood up and left and he tore his eyes away and turned to look at me. I hiccuped again and he laughed, quietly, gently moving strands of hair out of my face.

"Why are you whispering?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. I cocked my head to one side, thoughtfully.

"I do not know." I whispered.

"I don't think you should drink any more..." He replied, smirking.

"I'm fine." I insisted. "You're a mess."

"You are a terrible liar." He chuckled, softly.

"I am a better liar than I would like to be." I replied, stiffening as soon as I said it.

"What do you mean?" He asked, frowning and shifting in his seat so that his whole body was facing me.

Even in my altered state of mind, I knew that this was not a discussion that I wanted to continue in. I searched with my mind for Obsidian, but he was too far away. I cursed inwardly, but forced a smile.

"Nothing." I replied, taking another gulp of ale. Murtagh sighed and pried the glass out of my hand. "What are you doing? I haven't finished that, yet..."

"You have had enough." He insisted, firmly. Something in his tone of voice stirred something inside of me. I was reminded of my father, and with those memories came feelings of anger and determination and the rebellious teenager lurking inside of me was brought to the surface.

"Give it back." I demanded, trying to focus on his face and finding it a more difficult feat than I would have imagined.

"No." He replied, as stubbornly as I felt.

"Yes."

"No, you are not yourself, Selena."

"Why? Because I am happy for once?" I fumed, rising unsteadily to my feet.

"It is not real happiness." He hissed, finding his own feet and holding me under my arms, supportively.

"I do not care, I will take any kind of happiness I can get." I replied, my voice shaking with unspoken emotion.

"Do not be a fool. You are smarter than this." He said softly, lowering his head so that his eyes were level with my own.

"What if I am not? What if this is who I am? What if I cannot be the person that everyone needs me to be? I am not who you think I am, Murtagh." I whispered, choking back tears.

"Selena..."

"Stop calling me that!" I screamed, hysterically, choking on my own emotion. As soon as I had said it, I realised what I had done, and clamped a shaking hand over my mouth.

"What do you mean? Selena...what are you saying?" He frowned. At his use of my sister's name once again, my legs buckled beneath me and I collapsed, with a cry of pain. He caught me before I hit the floor and I sobbed uncontrollably into his chest. I do not know how long we stayed like that, but I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I remembered, we were in our room, sitting side by side on the end of the bed.

I was leaning into him and he had his arm around me, stroking my hair, soothingly. The effects of the alcohol were beginning to wear off prematurely, possibly due to the copious amounts of water that Murtagh was forcing upon me, but more likely because of my new physical strength. I reasoned that if my muscles were stronger, it only made sense that my entire system was also fortified.

For a while I just sat there in silence, with my head resting comfortably on his chest. For the first time in a long time, I felt warm and safe and cared for. It was a blissful feeling. I knew that it could not last, but I did not want it to end. I was in a strange place, with someone I had only known for a little over a week, but I had never felt more at home in my life.

"What did you mean back there? When you told me that you are not who I think you are?" Murtagh whispered.

"Nothing...just..." I trailed off, warily.

"What?"

I bit my lip. I did not want to lie to him again. I was not sure if I could. The truth was on my lips, and I was ready to give it life, to release it into the still, night air...but the part of my mind that spoke in my sister's voice reminded me that it was not just myself that I would be endangering, but Obsidian...and Murtagh.

"I just...I wish I was something more. That is all." It was not exactly a lie, but it was not the truth that he had asked for.

He sighed, raggedly, and the arm around my shoulders held me tighter. I prised myself away from him slightly, to look up into his face. His expression was a mixture of sadness and some other emotion that I could not place, and it troubled me more than I cared to admit to myself.

"What is wrong?" I whispered, hoping that I was not the cause of the pain shining in his eyes, but somehow knowing that I was.

"Nothing." He said, dismissively, brushing off my concern. "You are a terrible drunk." He smiled, a genuine smile which I could not help but return. Minutes passed before I realised that my eyes had never left his, just as his had not left my own. Something passed between us in those moments, something new and ancient at the same time. His face seemed to inch closer to mine, though I could not tell which one of us was moving. Perhaps it was both. God knows we did not plan it. It was inconvenient and wonderful, impossible and inevitable, complicated, and yet so simple. I did not know that so many different things could exist in a single, perfect kiss.

When we finally broke apart, I looked up at him, breathlessly, unsure of how to think or feel.

"So...where does this leave us?" I whispered. He smirked down at me, though it was with sincere affection.

"Katharean...you talk too much." He muttered, before cupping my chin, gently, and guiding my lips to his once more. For the second time that night, I felt euphoric, although this high was so much better than the first. Who would have thought that a simple kiss would leave me dizzier than a barrel of ale? So great was the feeling of ecstasy coursing through my veins, that I failed to notice

that he had not called me Selena.

AN: Bet you didn't see that coming :-D

Although, it's more likely that you definitely did, cause it's kinda been building.

P.S. Don't you just love it when the romance starts out? Even though you know that he's a bad guy who's lying to her? Shame.

P.P.S. Please review, you know how it makes me happy :-D

P.P.P.S. You probably know by now that I can never be bothered to proof-read these things. It hurts my brain enough to see the letters the first time round. So if you're offended by any major spelling or grammatical errors, then A. You should probably get a hobby of some sort (and I mean that in a loving way), and B. Just let me know ;-)

Love you guys as always.